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<title>and i’m screaming at the top of my lungs, pretending the echoes belong to someone by etherealniallhoran</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24545182">and i’m screaming at the top of my lungs, pretending the echoes belong to someone</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/etherealniallhoran/pseuds/etherealniallhoran'>etherealniallhoran</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>ATEEZ (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Blood and Violence, Body Horror, Character Death, Death, Gun Violence, Horror, M/M, Major Character Injury, Suicide Attempt, Weapons, Zombie Apocalypse</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 08:47:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,474</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24545182</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/etherealniallhoran/pseuds/etherealniallhoran</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>in which the world is falling apart, ridden with zombies, and an unlikely group of misfits becomes a band of brothers on a voyage to safety.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>and i’m screaming at the top of my lungs, pretending the echoes belong to someone</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>this story has trigger warnings in place for graphic violence and major character death, as well as touching on dark themes like suicidal ideation.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kim Hongjoong was running for his life. He was running so fast his shoes barely hit the asphalt. He looked back at his friend, Yunho, who was quickly catching up. Yunho waved frantically to him, silently motioning for him to change direction and slip into an oncoming back alley. They turned and zipped past abandoned cars, heading in a beeline to the space between the buildings. It was barren, save for a dumpster and a pile of cement bricks. </p><p>“I can’t do this. I can’t do this...” Yunho nearly fell over before Hongjoong grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him behind the dumpster. </p><p>“Listen to me.” Hongjoong whispered harshly. “You can. We will get there soon. then we won’t have to worry.” He peeked above the dumpster and saw it.</p><p>A human... or rather, it was a human at some point. Now, it staggered like a hungry baby deer, flesh peeling from its surface. It groaned as it approached them. Yunho cried silently.</p><p>Hongjoong jumped up on top of the dumpster. “you want some? come on!” He waved his hands as the creature lunged forward. Hongjoong tackled it, stabbing it in the eye with his pocketknife. It gurgled and hissed before falling limp. For good measure, Hongjoong grabbed a cement brick and dropped it directly on the thing’s greying head. </p><p>“Come on.” He turned to the younger boy, wiping off the decayed matter that splattered across his face in disgust. “One of these buildings has to be unlocked.”</p><p>“What if they’re in them? The... the..” Yunho gulped. He didn’t want to face the reality.</p><p>“The zombies? Maybe so. Then we tiptoe the fuck out and try not to become lunch, huh?” </p><p>Yunho nodded, getting up from behind the dumpster. The stench of the rotting garbage and the rotting flesh mixed uneasily in his nose and sent signals to his stomach. He retched, following Hongjoong quickly. </p><p>They tried door after door of the businesses on the strip. Each were chained, boarded up. </p><p>Hongjoong brushed his shaggy red hair from his brow, wiping away the sweat that collected. They walked further down, tugging every handle. Yunho was so tired it was making him delirious. He almost didn’t realize it when the door swung open. When he felt no resistance, he looked back. “J-joong! Look!” </p><p>Hongjoong chuckled, getting his pocketknife out and following the boy inside. It was a laundromat. Some of the machines were open, clothes spilling out. A television was mounted to the wall, showing the same message that had been displayed on their own at home. </p><p>“THIS IS A MESSAGE FROM THE EMERGENCY STATION. GOVERNER YOON HAS ENACTED AN ORDER TO EVACUATE. THIS MOTION IS NECESSARY TO ENSURE PUBLIC SAFETY AND THE WELFARE OF OUR COMMUNITY. FAILURE TO EVACUATE MAY RESULT IN DEATH. MAY GOD HELP US ALL.”</p><p>It was a haunting sight. He remembered the day the order was put into place. The military began raiding homes, forcing families into vehicles. The elite were sent to private bunkers. Everyone else...</p><p>Hongjoong’s train of thought derailed as he heard a noise from the back of the room. Shuffling. Yunho made eye contact with him.</p><p>“No.” He mouthed, backing up to the door and shaking his head. </p><p>Hongjoong gulped, but moved closer, giving Yunho an apologetic shrug. Yunho tensed up, his heart going a mile a minute. He hated how brave Hongjoong was. Or rather, he hated his own cowardice. He gripped the straps of his bookbag with white knuckles and followed his friend. </p><p>The pair walked cautiously forward. They passed each row of machines slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible. Out of nowhere, a young man popped up, aiming a trembling shotgun in their faces. </p><p>“D-d-don’t shoot!” Yunho yelled, crouching to the floor, covering his head with his bag. Hongjoong raised his hands in the air. “We aren’t going to hurt you. Please put the gun down.” He spoke clearly. The man lowered his weapon, wiping a tear from his face. He looked no older than 19. He wore tattered jeans and a hoodie whose sleeves had been cut in half. His disheveled hair was swept out of his face by a white bandana. </p><p>“Shit, I thought I was done for.” He said in a low tone, barely above a whisper. “You aren’t raiders, are you?” </p><p>“No. We’re just trying to find safety. I’m Kim Hongjoong, and that’s my friend Jeong Yunho.” He motioned toward Yunho, who had regained composure and smiled weakly at the man. </p><p>“Jongho...Choi Jongho. Are you guys hungry? I don’t have much, but there’s a store nearby that still has a few things. you’re welcome to anything here.” He passed them a bookbag full of granola, pretzels, and fruit bars. “S-sorry for almost shooting you...” </p><p>Yunho took the bag, sifting through its contents. “Thank you... have you got any water?” He looked up hopefully. </p><p>“I have a bottle left, yeah. I need to find a way to distill what comes out of the taps. I...I don’t trust it.” He shook his head. “I heard that’s how some people got sick...”</p><p>“I heard it was a bug. A parasyte.” Yunho shivered, sitting on the floor and nibbling at a handful of granola. The group sat in silence for a bit, Jongho peeking above the machines every once in a while.</p><p>“Have you seen one yet?” Hongjoong asked, noting the man’s paranoia.</p><p>“Only in the distance.. I’ve been able to evade them so far. I’ve stayed here for two days now, sometimes I hide in the industrial drier if i think someone’s coming.” </p><p>Hongjoong chuckled. “That can’t be comfortable.”</p><p>Jongho smiled and shook his head. “It isn’t ideal.” His smile soon disappeared. “More come at night. But... they don’t really pay attention to anything, they just shuffle by.” He stared off into the distance. “What about you guys? Come across one yet?”</p><p>“We got chased by one. It’s the first one to have heard us so far. I...” Yunho paused, giving Hongjoong a guilty look. “I called over to one on accident while we were trying to find supplies. It was too far away, I thought it was human.. or.. well. I don’t know. We’re lucky it was just the one.” He grimaced. “Hongjoong smashed its head in.”</p><p>“My god...” Jongho shook his head, his lip trembling. “I’m so scared...” </p><p>Hongjoong put his hand on the man’s shoulder. “We all are. But I’ve seen papers posted all around this place that there’s a safe haven up north. That’s where we’re headed. are you joining us?” </p><p>Jongho paused. “What if it isn’t true? What if there is no safe haven?” </p><p>“But what if there is? I’m not sitting here and getting eaten by those freaks when there’s a chance we can be saved. A chance to reunite with our family.”</p><p>“I don’t know where my family is.” Jongho teared up. “I don’t know where they took them. These men in uniform started shoving them into buses, not telling anyone why, just go go go.” He cried. “I wish I’d gone with them, but I was so scared. I ran and hid. Theorists online said the military had orders to mass execute civilians if this thing got out of hand... and it did... it...” He broke down in long, choking sobs. “If that’s what happened, I wish I’d gone to die with my family instead of being a coward.”</p><p>“Stop. It’s in our DNA to fight to survive. Yunho and I ran too, otherwise we wouldn’t be here, right? And you don’t know what happened. For all we know, they could still be alive, right? right?” Hongjoong gave Jongho a gentle nudge, and he nodded in response. “Good. So... will you join us? There’s strength in numbers, or so they say. Safety.” </p><p>“Yeah, we can’t leave you here on your own. Not against those things.” Yunho motioned to the door. “It’d be better to face them with backup than all alone. Join us.”</p><p>Jongho nodded again. “Thank you.. you don’t know what this means to me.”</p><p>“Of course.” The cogs began turning in Hongjoong’s head. “I think we should leave here... in the morning, when it’s quiet. And we can look around for a car or something. If we find one, great. If not, we’ll start on foot. I’m sure there will be one eventually.” Hongjoong looked around at the group, who voiced their agreements. </p><p>“We should hit up that store in the morning too, stock up on nonperishables if there are any, and water.” Yunho interjected. </p><p>The group settled in as the sun began to set. Jongho showed them how he locked and barricaded the door at night with a few of the chairs and rolling baskets. They laid on the cold floor and tried to get to sleep. It was the safest Jongho had felt in days.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i hope you enjoy this series as it develops, i have been wanting to write something like this for a long time! let me know what you think, and as always, thank you for reading &lt;3 -em</p></blockquote></div></div>
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